Student Voice: What ‘Ignite’ Ignited in Me丨学生之声：被“点燃”的青春，一场向内探索的觉醒
Last term, Year 9 students from Dulwich College Shanghai Puxi took part in the Ignite Rock Term at Hochalpines Institut Ftan, Switzerland. This was part of our Live Worldwise Campus pilot programme, a school-led initiative that sponsors the programme and supports students.
What was the experience really like? What did students take away from it, and which moments stayed with them the most?
In this piece, our Student Voice Champion, Jessica J, reflects on her time in Switzerland and shares conversations with her peers. Through their voices, we invite you to step into their journey and discover what made Ignite such a meaningful part of their learning.
“You may think Ignite was our 12-week vacation, consisting of only fun and sports, enjoying the freedom without our parents; maybe the only thing we keep thinking about is the fun we had in those playful moments. Some of us do not realise it yet, but there are more than several takeaways that made a difference to our learning there, all small, but vital knowledge that we will come across in the future for our use.“——Jessica J，Year 9 Student，Student Voice Champion
WHAT really was Ignite?
Ignite was the experience of a lifetime; these 12 weeks were something I never expected to encounter again in such form. Ignite brought us to exotic places and areas of knowledge exclusive to the natural surroundings of Switzerland, Austria and Italy. We learnt skills on how to save lives with first aid courses and outdoor rescue with specialists of REGA; we mastered techniques of rock climbing and ropes; we understood the natural world through visits to the National Park and silver mines. In the end, we realised the importance of beautiful wildlife in our world.
WHY you should go
1. Preparation for the IGCSE Course
Though the mix of academia and physical activity challenged us to organise, it gave us the opportunity to feel our IGCSE subjects in real life, while the Ignite programme itself taught us ways to utilise this connection to nature in order to improve our learning.
In English, we covered persuasive writing, which encouraged us to explore our own interests with speeches. The tasks tested our research, writing and presentation skills. Persuasive writing is a key aspect of the IGCSE curriculum alongside text analysis and descriptive writing. I loved how many of us explored our own interests and shared them with the class. It made the lessons more engaging and kept us motivated.
In Science, we had three units of the three different sciences, ensuring we covered all basic knowledge points for our age. HIF provided IGCSE textbooks to help us work and follow the basic curriculum, whilst going beyond the textbook into practicals outside, burning things and making our own pure iron.
In Maths, we were assessed on our abilities at the start and the teachers adapted as we went on. While covering basic material, such as recurring decimals and complex fractions, the teachers extended our learning with sequences and logarithms. This brought us beyond our age level into deeper IGCSE content and prompted interest in the subject in us.
The teachers are experienced and extremely lovely, taking us beyond what we need. Though their work ensures that the material is made to fit all schools, they extend our knowledge anyhow.
2. Healthy Habits
Ignite helped us overcome challenges and build resistance, encouraging us to develop healthy habits and mindsets. Within the programme, our device usage was limited, especially our phones. These digital, constantly buzzing machines we thought we desperately needed in every second of our lives disappeared. Some of us struggled with the change and savoured each moment of phone time with gaming, but we overcame these challenges by embracing the connection. The need for instant replies dissipated due to our real-life connection with our peers each day. We lived with each other and saw sides of each other we normally would not catch a glance of in our homeschools.
The limitation of our devices meant less distraction, less time wasted scrolling and more focus during studying and lessons. This confiscation led to the development of our resistance to device attraction; it took our attention away from screens and toward the beauty of the Swiss Alps and our everyday lessons.
3. Learning to be Kind and Respectful
In Ignite, we had a comprehansive wellbeing curriculum. We learned beyond presentations, with practicals and applicable activities. We changed our mindsets to learn better, addressed our challenges in tech norms and set goals to change our habits, and practiced memorisation skills to apply in other subjects. Our wellbeing lessons focused on the wellness of our minds and the flexibility of them. Sometimes, the skills we learned in these lessons unexpectedly come up in our other subjects. We utilised memorable songs to remember our French conjugations; we tried the Pomodoro Technique during study to increase efficiency whilst working. Everything we learnt was new, but everything was applied so naturally into our everyday learning. Thus, when the necessity of organising our own studies comes, we will have less difficulty getting things done.
That is where holistic education sprouts, nurturing students to become self-sufficient and organised.
What Ignite ignited inside ME
1. Independence
During my time at the programme, I realised how much independence meant to me. We always had a pleasurable, though busy, schedule ahead of us; we were expected to be punctual and prepared for all our classes, IOP and independent study time. This aspect of the programme challenged me to organise my time such that I was prepared and unhurried for my upcoming activities.
The passion project process was especially demanding, as we had to set ourselves tasks to complete over the weeks at our own pace, but at a deadline, nonetheless. Our teacher, Ms Santer, would always provide advice and assistance periodically, but the work was to be done by ourselves. I developed my own schedule on what to accomplish each study session such that I would be prepared way before the presentations and ready for feedback. It may sound challenging, but planning out my studies prevented me from having anxiety when I was supposed to be having fun enjoying new experiences.
Living without parents, we were expected to clean our own rooms on Sundays and leave them tidy for room checks in the morning. For the first two weeks, Boarding House staff members taught us how to clean our rooms, dispose of the trash and change our duvets and bedsheets, but we were on our own from then on. Each Sunday morning felt easier, we adapted to laundry patterns, gained speed in changing those duvets and gave in to the routine. Funnily, I really enjoyed learning these little skills and gained more respect for my caretakers.
2. To extend beyond academics and into the real world
Beyond exploring exciting activities and stunning landscapes, we explored our passions. Living in Ftan, we lived with the Alps and the glorious nature that came with it. The passion project emphasised connection to the Sustainable Development Goals and our own surroundings, pushing us to investigate the world around us. Linking to SDGs, we all examined global issues regarding both the environment and society. Topics such as global warming, glaciers, animal conservation, food consumption and production, sustainable fashion, cultural infrastructure, etc. were heavily researched and made into a final product, aiming to spread awareness and promote action.
Many who chose to inquire on conservation, including me, gained a deep insight into wildlife issues. Through studying hunting patterns and communicating with specialists, I uncovered how important all species were to the functionality and prosperity of environments and other species, including us. I gained a deepened understanding of how important nature was to our survival and how biased society can be towards stereotyped animals and how unfair their treatment can be. The researching gave us a nuanced perspective of the global citizen and the green light to exploring careers and interests; we were prompted to make an impact.
We, as students here at Dulwich Puxi, are extremely grateful and lucky to have been on this journey together, to learn and explore together. Without the sponsorship, many of us may have decided against this wondrous experience and missed out on all the exotic excursions and non-stop, engaging learning.
Want to experience global learning just like Jessica? Check out Dulwich Puxi's Live Worldwise Campus and see where it can take you.
